The Giveaway and some more MAC!

I know, it looks delicious.

Indeed, it was (!) but this cheeky little cheesecake has scuppered my blog plans a little.

I was planning to do an outfit post today, I have a couple of little dresses to show you but after a long weekend of overindulgence, I really don't feel like fluttering around in front of the camera. In fact, to be honest, I can hardly move. Yes, I really did eat that much!

So while we are waiting for the great bloat to pass, I thought I would share with you the rest of my MAC haul.

You already know about All That Glitters but I also picked up some other eye shadows specifically, Retrospeck; Bronze and Mystery.

Mystery has been on my wish list for a while now. Tanya Burr has done a couple of tutorials with it and created some gorgeous, smoky eyes. I would love to be able to create eye make up similar to this.

I guess, I'm hoping that merely including Mystery in my own collection will bring me one step closer to Tanya's amazing make up looks and talent. Hmmm, yeah, if only it was that easy!

Still, I don't think I'm going to regret purchasing Mystery. It is such a nice cool toned matt brown which seems a better brown for me. Some of the reddier browns such as Sable can make my eyes look tired and irritated. Mattes also seem to offer a more definite contour.

Bronze was a little bit more of a random purchase. It looked great in the pan and swatched well. When you pair these little points with the fact that gold/peachy shadows seem to bring out the little hazel specks in my green pupils -and oh yes, makes my eyes "pop"!- then really, Bronze was destined to come home with me.

Retrospeck, too, was a random purchase. It looks pretty and swatches well but in reality, online reviews seem a bit blah. Some suggest that the shadow is not particularly pigmented and I do worry that maybe, it will look a bit ashy on me. I guess, time will tell but I think, Retrospeck is most likely to become my new inner eye highlight if I reach for it at all!

I also brought three lipsticks, Angel (a current fave); Hug Me (a newbie for me. I asked for Hue and I guess, the assistant grabbed the wrong one out of the draw. Still, I'm gonna give Hug Me a shot as I haven't really got any wearable browns in my collection) and the one I'm a bit dreamy about at the moment, Creme Cup.

I've heard so much about Creme Cup but still, I can't remember ever trying it. I guess, Creme Cup falls in to that Hue, Patesserie, Angel, 'pink nude' type class and since I kind of lost my heart to Hue, the day I first walked in to MAC, it has took me too long to give the others any attention but yes, indeed, you were all right! Creme Cup is amazing and like Angel, comes in to its own when you give it a chance. I can tell you now, this cremesheen isn't going be far from my lips this week!

Well, I think, that is about all I got from MAC this week. However, I will be returning again soon (I need Hue!) which brings me to my giveaway.

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The 50 Follower Giveaway!!!!

Yay, that's right, I am giving you a chance to win either a MAC lipstick or a MAC eye shadow of your choice.

I know, its hardly original but who doesn't want need another piece of MAC?!

So here are the rules!

- This giveaway is open internationally.


- You must be a Google Connect Follower of Mission Me.


-A For one entry: You must leave a comment on this post naming the lipstick or eye shadow you would like, if you win. Please also leave me a contact e-mail or blog address so I can contact you if you win.


-B You will receive two additional entries, if you also tweet about the giveaway. Please remember to mention me @xessjay23x so I can see your tweet. You also need to link back to this post and mention your tweet (and your name on twitter) in your comment here.


-C/D You will receive three additional entries, if you mention the giveaway in your blog post or/and sidebar. You must link to this post. You must also link me to your post/sidebar in the comment below so I can see it. If you mention the giveaway in a post and in the sidebar, you will receive six additional entries.


-Each person can only enter once in A, B, C, D. Basically, nobody is entitled to more then 9 entries.


-This giveaway will end on 0001am, UK time on Wednesday, 1st of February 2012.


- There will be one winner. That winner will be chosen randomly. They will receive a lipstick or eye shadow of their choice from the MAC permanent line as long as I can get hold of it.


- This is my giveaway so my discretion is final!

*Just in case, I've confused you all. Here is a comment similar to one you might leave, if you decide to enter

'Enter me! I follow your blog with GFC. I would like to win ...........! My google name is .................. and my e-mail address is ..........@...........! I have also tweeted about your giveaway. My twitter name is ............! I've also posted about your giveaway here http://.............. and in the sidebar of my blog here http://..........'

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I hope this is clearer then mud for you, lovelies! Good luck!! Can't wait to see which lippies and shadows you're yearning for!

EDIT: This giveaway is now closed. Details of the winning entry (and a peek at some lovely MAC lippies) can be found here, link.

X

Dipping in to dazzle!

Hi Pretties So I have been meaning to do this post for ages but for some reason have never got around to it but it has to be done. I have to pay tribute to some beauties from Barry M. The Dazzledusts! You may remember a rave in one of my first posts. It was a top five one. Here is what I said about the ultimate dazzledust, Mushroom 51. 'Yes, you may say it is neutral and yes, you may say you're playing it safe because you can never go that wrong with neutral and you would be right but this colour is truly gorgeous on the eyes and what is more, it looks great in the pot too. It is subtly alluring with its little sparkly flakes. It twinkles and almost winks at me in the pot, whispering 'put me on, put me on'. OTT but true all the same. I like the way that I can not pinpoint the exact colour of 51. Purple, grey, brown. Everytime I look at it, it looks a little bit different. The best I can say is it seems good for this time of year, earthy. It reminds me of stewing skies and the changing colours of leaves. And like all dazzledusts, its intensity can be played up and down. A great day look then add a little more and maybe a flash of something sultry and it becomes the perfect smoky eye or it would be if my application, was a little more skilled but that is why I am here. Two warnings though! Firstly, the fallout can be messy so I like to deal with my eyes before I start the rest of my face. Secondly, these dazzledusts are relatively cheap (I think mine was around £4.50) and addictive. When I discovered them, I must have brought twelve in as many days.' http://essjay23x.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/my-top-five/ That was then, this is my collection now.  Back left to right PinkGold 3, Bright Blue 5*, Khaki 14, Baby Blue 20, Cherry 34, Tan 39?, Bronze 44, Mushroom 51, Chocolate 53, Lilac 59, Winter Berry 88, Silvery Black 91, Purple 926 Limited edition It is true. I have brought a few dazzledusts (There are a couple of fine glitter dusts in there too*). I love them. I'm not sure why as application is not always so easy but they make such an impact. I believe you can apply them dry or wet. I have always applied them dry but wonder if it would be easier to use a wet brush so the dust has something to stick to. However once I have cleared any fallout, I do believe that these dusts create a much stronger eye look compared to some of the more conventional high street shadows. I tend to prime my eye with something eg.Erase Paste concealer, a Benefit cream eye shadow or occasionally a MAC paint tube and the look tends to last all night. I have also worn dazzledusts in the day. Sometimes if I'm been lazy and only want to wear one colour on my eyes then using a dazzledust (such as Mushroom or Chocolate) instead of a powder shadow can just give a mono lid slightly more impact. I find dazzledusts more messy and timeconsuming when I'm doing a look with more then one. It can be difficult to blend symetrical balanced and matching eyes but I still use dazzledusts because the final look always makes such a statement! And because dazzledusts do talk for themselves, I'm going to give you a warning. As much as I adore my Max Factor Lash Extension Effect Mascara which grooms and defines so well, dazzledusts are heavy and I find that when I'm wearing a dazzledust look then I do, indeed, prefer more of a volumising mascara such as the L'Oreal Double Tubes even if it does clump. Anyways. You know that I adore Mushroom. Here are some of my other faves. Chocolate 53 A very deep brown which reminds me of Sable and Embark from MAC or the dark brown contour from Big Beautiful Eyes (Benefit). I love to smoke it up when I am going out and to do so, I use Mushroom to colour the lid and then some Chocolate to contour. This is supposed to be remniscent of a Cheryl Cole smoky eye (See MakeUpAdikt's tutorial here http://www.barrym.com/make-up-tutorials/video-tutorial.asp?vid=85). Chocolate can also be used alone and it will simply make the eyes smoulder. Bronze 44 Now that summer is here, I find myself watching a lot of the bronze eye tutorials on You Tube but I have to be careful being so pale as it can look too wrong or trampish on me so I've latched on to a new habit of using the bronze dazzledust to contour. I use it in the way that Lollipop26 uses MAC Museum bronze pigment in her bronzed eye look http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpRsm8Xr_T4 . Using a subtle neutral powder shadow for the lid keeps the look toned down and pretty rather then orange and garish. Although when I was looking at my dazzledusts today, I noticed just how orange this bronze is and I'm thinking I might like to try using the Tan 39 in the crease instead. I'm not sure I've used this one before but it looks so pretty and shimmery. Baby Blue 20  This colour is absolutely divine in the pot and makes me think of the sea and sunshine. If you do have good technique or time for careful application, this looks gorgeous when paired with a Bronze contour. This looks phenomenal on my little sister. She is blond, blue eyed and has a warmer complexion then me but I still think most people could work these two colours together to some degree. Just build the colours up very slowly. Use a light hand to find the right balance or maybe you find it'll work better to use the bronze as the main colour and the Baby Blue to line the lower lashes or something. Anyhow for me, these two colours just seem to team perfectly for summer. Here is a quick glimpse of what they looked like when I tried the combo out. So have you got any dazzledusts? What are your favourites, am I missing any gems? If you're a stranger to Dazzledusts, will they now be added to your wishlist? X